Unvaccinated people in US breeding ground for new Covid variants: Experts

As several states in the US return to ‘normal times from before Covid’, experts are warning unvaccinated people against their choice to not get inoculated.

Health officials have voiced concerns that the huge number of unvaccinated people in the country could lead to a wider spread of the deadly coronavirus in the country.

Also read | Beta variant can evade Covid vaccines, UK scientist claims

Experts also worry that the transmission which will take place now will be more transmissible and deadlier. They have also warned that the population of unvaccinated people could lead to the spread of new and deadlier variants of COVID-19.

"Unvaccinated people are basically the cannon fodder of the virus. The virus needs people to infect in order to replicate and the more people it has that are vulnerable or susceptible to infection, the more likely it will mutate," said Michael Saag, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Health experts also fear that the unvaccinated population could not only be at risk of getting infected by coronavirus but may also diminish the success of US’ vaccine rollout, in case any new variant is discovered that is resistant to the existing vaccines.

Also read | Boris Johnson's unlocking plan is threat to world, 1,200 scientists warn

The warning has come as at least 46 US states observed an increase of at least 10 per cent in Covid infections. Now, US President Joe Biden is encouraging locals, especially young people, to get vaccinated against coronavirus as soon as possible.

"The challenge that we’re facing in the public health response … is that we’ve gotten the 'easy' people in terms of vaccination. The ones that were eager for it, that couldn’t wait to get it," Susan Hassig, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine was quoted by the Guardian.

Experts have recommended getting everyone vaccinated as that doubles the chances of protecting people from getting infected, which will then stop any possibility of replication and birth of new variants.